The Digital Generation

November 16, 2011

Five to Ten Year Retrospect

It seems to me that today’s digital generation compared to five or ten years ago is that they have more information surrounding them and that information is more accessible than any other generation before them. The advancement of technology has been so rapid in the past decade that our everyday lifestyles have changed because of it. The most profound aspect of this development, I believe, is within our methods of communication. Communication plays such a vital role in culture and today’s generation has far more options to choose from that are more versatile and immediate.

Inspirations and Concerns

There is no question that today’s technological capabilities are awe inspiring and offer many benefits for all of us. Mobile devices such as cell phones are a great convenience and also prove to be good tools for safety. If you have an emergency, you may simply dial 911 from almost any location. Your location is even picked up on by GPS. However, because these mobile devices are always by our side it can prove difficult for one to not develop compulsive behaviors with them.

One of the videos mentioned the thought that teachers might be needed more as role models and could be seen more as a coach. This is due to the fact that the “didactic” aspects of teaching, such as a teacher’s need for being a resource of factual information, is not as exclusive as it once was. Because of the Internet and the enormous amount of information within it, it is more common for research to be derived using the Internet today within education. I’m not sure what the future has in store for text books given the increasing amount of open sources available online these days. Education needs to give deep consideration in addressing digital literacy for its students in order to prepare students for the real world we now live in.

Visualizing My Classroom Differently

Already I have given consideration of implementing more Inquiry-Based methods into my classroom instruction. I have also been gradually using more online resources as tools for my classroom instruction. I believe that by maintaining a balance of both the use of technology and traditional methods and tools within the classroom will produce the best level of intelligence and character within our students.